Welcome friends!
This week I wanted to take a moment to explain a little more behind the philosophy of Telling Their Stories. The mission of this blog is to help give voice to those who otherwise get overlooked. Those of you who have followed the blog for a little while have noticed that most weeks this blog tells little known stories of well known men and women as well as well known stories of those who are not known. Studying these stories is important.
We all know why we study Math, English, and even Science. These subjects often have relevant contexts to modern life. They give us tools to aid us in our every day. But why, some may ask, should we study History?
Studying History is the key to understanding our society and our culture. If we don't know where we have come from, how can we know where we are going? Understand that some of these issues that we face societally and culturally are far deeper rooted than it seems. That they came from humans being human in the past.
Studying History so that we do not repeat our errors is vital.
On a recent trip to Colonial Williamsburg, the theme of studying History was well engrained in most, if not all, of the programs that my husband and I attended. Colonial Williamsburg's mission is "That the future may learn from the past." (1)
Studying History is important in order to realize that those who came before us are not unlike ourselves in many ways. They loved. They fought. They struggled for things important to themselves. They saw the beauty in the flowers of their world just as we do in ours. However, so often we study history at such a level that those human feelings get muddled and blurred together. It is important to take time, sit, and learn the stories of those who paved the ways that we walk in. Those stories help us to understand better how to make new discoveries and new mistakes.
It is in understanding the past that we can see the key to the future.
Footnotes:
Resources:
National Archives - Founders Archives
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